Frost preventing machine



July 4, 1939. L.. E. NELSON El" AL J J FROST PREVENTING MACHINE Filed July 30, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet l y 1939. 1.. E. NELSON ET AL ,155,

FROST PREVENTING MACHINE Filed July 30, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ZZZ/22 25072 July 4, 1939. a... E. NELSON ET AL FROST PREVENTING MACHINE Filed July so, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented July 4, 1939 FROST PREVENTING MACHINE.

Lester E.Nelaon, Long Beach, and Vernon H. Nelson, Fillmore, Calif.

I Application July 30, 1937, Serial No. 156,600

I Claims. (Cl. 41-2) invention" relates to wind machines and more particularly to frost preventing machines. Theprirnarfobject of this invention resides in theprovision of a frost preventing machine rs adapted to'bje' in orchards, citrus fruit "groves'andon rarms sq as to prevent chilled air fromsettling withinithe orchards, etc.

A'nothenob'ject or his invention resides in the provision on frost preventing machine adapted H) to direct warmairf from above the ceiling of the lower stratum of airin an orchard, etc., and distribut'e' it "about the orchard so as to prevent chilled air fromsettling therein and damaging the b ro .1 A further-object of this invention resides in the provision of 'a frost preventing machine of such construction that warm air from the upper 'stratiun; over arior'chard, etc., can be directed .into anorchard 'at various predetermined horizontalan'gles relative to the normal flow thereof. "A still further object of this invention resides in th'e provision 'of'a frost preventing machine adapted to drawwarm air from the upper stratum above; anorchard'; etc... and expel it therefrom in alldirectionsiabout the orchard at the same time.

fln-additionto'thef aforesaid objects this invention residesinthe provision of a frost preventing machine offsu h construction that the air impeller'thereoifcan be adjusted perpendicularly to '30 operateat-variousheights above the ground so as to function withinor in close proximity to the upp r istratumofi 3 Among themany'objects of this invention is the particular construction of the air impeller and operation thereof.

Aside from the foregoing objects of this invention is the provision of adjustable means for controlling the excursion of currents of air from the air impeller.

Among the many objects of this invention is the provision of a frost preventing machine adapted to be erected in multiplicity in an orchard and adjusted relative to the contour of the land, so as to dispose the air impellers thereof within or in close proximity to the upper stratum of air.v l

With these and other objects in view this invention resides in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of elements to be hereinafter set forth in the specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims and. while this disclosure depicts our present conception of the invention the right is reserved to resort to such changes in construction and arrangement of elements as come within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a frost preventing ma- 5 chine as constructed in accordance with this invention.

I Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the upper portion of the machine approximately on line 10 3-3 of F18. 2.

' Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of an impeller blade per se.

Fig. 5 is a similar view ofone of the rudder blades. I 15 Fig. 6 is a side view of a modified form of the frost preventing machine. I

Fig. 'l is a detail side view of the adjustable impeller and adjuncts thereto.

Fig. 8 is a detail side view of the Windlass there- 20 for.

In the present illustration of this invention the numeral 5 designates, in general, a frost preventing machine which consists of a suitable tower 6, preferably of skeleton construction, on the top 25 of which is secured a stationary platform I having a series of perpendicularly disposed rudder blades 8 journaled thereon for tangential adjustment relative to the radii extending from the center of the platform or axial point of an air 30 impeller 9 rotatably mounted thereon and operated by an electric motor M or other suitable source of power. Said motor M is preferably mounted beneath the platform I on a cross beam or base l0 secured to the tower and has its shaft 36 S splined to the air impeller by any suitable means. The stationary platform is also adjustable horizontally to conform to the altitude of the orchard, thus in case one portion of the grove is higher than the other the stationary platform 40 can be adqusted to force the air to higher or lower levels.

The air impeller 9 consists of a substantially conical base-plate II to which is rigidly secured a plurality of blades l2 having their outer ex- Ii tremities l3 deflected or curvedin the opposite direction of rotation of the air impeller so as to create a vacuum to draw the air downwardly and their inner ends ll diverging outwardly from the base-plate II to form a pocket for entrance of the air at the center of the impeller, said diverging ends of theblades are preferably directed on compound curved lines.

In order to stabilize the blades of the air impeller an annular band or plate I5 is secured on 55 the upper edges thereof adjacent the outer extremities of thesame end; through the instrumentality of this band It, means are provided to direct the air currents outwardly past the rudder blades. In the modified form illustrated by Figs. 8, 'l

and-8, the tower l is provided with suitable guide rods; or rails It to accommodate a vertically adjustableframe l1 adapted to support the air impeller mechanism heretofore referred to and, in order to raise and lower the air impeller mechanism, cables II are fastened to the platform I, trained over sheaves II and secured to a suitable Windlass W. Through the instrumentality of this structure the impeller mechanism can be adjusted to variiTus heights so as to operate successfully regardless of elevation of the ceiling of the lower stratum of air.

With this invention fully set forth it ismanitest that means are provided to prevent frost from settling in orchards, etc and, through the simplicity of the structure involved, positive operation is assured at the minimum cost.

Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire to protectby Letters Patent is:

1. A frost preventing machine of the character set forth the combination of, a tower, a horizontally disposed platform rigidly secured to the top of the tower, a horizontally rotatable air impeller disposed above. the platform and having its .pe-

riphery inset from the periphery of the platform,

adjustable rudder blades adjustably secured by a vertical pivot to the platform adjacent the periphery of the air impeller, and ,a motor rigidly mounted'below the platform with its shaft connected to the air impeller. H

2. A frost preventing machine of. the character set forth the combination of, a tower, guide rods extending vertically in the tower, a frame slid-' ably mounted on the guide rods, a horizontally disposed platform rigidly securedto the frame,

' a motor secured to the frame under the platform and having its shaft extending upwardly through the platform, an air impeller splined to the shaft of the motor above the platform, the periphery of the impeller being inset with respect to'the periphery of the platform, rudder blades adjustably journaled on the platform aboutthe' periphery form, and a windl'ass connected of the impeller, sheaves suspended from the tower above the platform, cables trained over the sheaves with their free ends secured to the platto the opposite ends'of thecables. 1

3. A frost preventing machine of the character described comprising, a tower, a horizontally-disposed platform rigidly secured to the topthereofi a motor rigidly secured to the wer andhaving its shaft projecting upwardly through the platform, asubstantially conical base-plate splined to the motor shaft, radially disposed blades se cured to the base-plate and having their outer' ends deflected and edges of their inner ends diverging upwardly from the, center 'of the baseplate, an annular band secured to the blades over their outer ends, said base plate having its periphery inset from the periphery of the platform,

platform carried by the upper portion ,of said motor shaft above the platform with its periphery spaced from the periphery of said platform, and rudders disposed over the marginal portions of the platform projecting from sides of the tower at their inner ends mounted by vertical pivots for movement to adjusted positions. a v

5. A frost preventing device of the character described comprising a tower, a platformv at the top of said tower, a support located adjacent the upper end of said tower under said platform, a motor carried by said support and disposed vertically with its shaft projecting upwardly through saidplatform, an impeller carried by theprojecting upper end portion of the motor shaft and located over the platform, said impeller having radiating blades shaped to draw air downwardly at the center of the impeller and dischargethe air horizontally from the periphery thereof, the periphery of the impeller being inset with respect to the periphery ofthe platform, and rudders extending horizontally between the impeller and the periphery of said platform and pivotally mounted at their inner ends for movement about vertical pivots to adjusted positions in angular relation to radii-of the impeller.

ms'rnan. NELSON. I .vnanon' a. iaison. 

